The prince is more stable

Chapter 631: Deadly Reconciliation
Emperor Huizong of Zhao quietly plotted his scheme, and it was very successful.

If Zhao Xiaoqian had not been urgently recalled to Bianjing, everything would have proceeded smoothly according to Zhao Ji's plan.

With the young prince dead, Zhao Ji's most important goal was achieved.

Since the founding of the Zhao imperial family, the number of imperial sons in each generation has been small. Therefore, the Zhao imperial family had an explicit rule: the son succeeds the father, and the younger brother succeeds the elder brother.

If a father has sons, the throne passes to his sons after his death; if he has no sons, the throne passes to his younger brother after his death.

Emperor Zhao Xu of this generation was frail from childhood and grew up drinking herbal medicine. Emperor Huizong originally hoped that Zhao Xu would not live long, and that given Zhao Xu's health condition, he would not have any offspring.

As the elder brother, Zhao Xuruo had no children. According to the order of brothers in Zhao Xuruo's generation, Zhao Ji would be the first in line to succeed him.

Unexpectedly, Consort Liu gave birth to a son for Zhao Xu.

On the day the young prince was born, Zhao Ji's face was very grim. From that day on, Zhao Ji began to reorganize his plans, focusing his attention on the inner palace.

Gaining someone's loyalty is not easy, but fortunately, money and leverage can buy loyalty.

Emperor Huizong used this method to bribe one eunuch and palace maid after another in the palace.

Because he frequently entered and exited the palace, and often fawned over the Empress Dowager to cultivate a relationship, he unknowingly won over many people in the palace.

The young prince was poisoned and died mysteriously; it was all Zhao Ji's doing.

He had to eliminate anyone who stood in his way, not even a baby a few months old.

The throne of the Song Dynasty can only belong to Zhao Ji.

The murder of the young prince went smoothly. The three-month-old child died mysteriously. He died from a slow-acting poison called "lead oxide," which does not damage the internal organs but only the nerves and causes heart spasms. His death was sudden and natural.

With today's medical technology, it is generally impossible to detect. Imperial physicians would only diagnose it as cold evil entering the body, resulting in the infant's weak constitution and unfortunate death.

The murder was carried out secretly and smoothly, but it eventually aroused Zhao Xu's suspicion. As a result, Zhao Xu urgently summoned Zhao Xiaoqian back to Bianjing to investigate and prosecute the case.

But Zhao Ji was not flustered at all, because this was a matter that could not be proven by the dead. These days, Zhao Ji watched Zhao Xiaoqian investigate the Imperial Medical Bureau and the Imperial Pharmacy, and he just sneered in his heart.

The evidence that should have been buried has long been buried. Zhao Ji was a cautious person and would never leave any trace for others to manipulate.

Except for one person.

This person is Huang Chenxiang, Junior Supervisor of the Palace Secretariat.

After the young prince died, Zhao Ji did consider silencing him, but Zhao Xu had already become suspicious, and Prime Minister Huang Chen lived in the palace, so it was inconvenient to take action at the time.

After delaying for several days, Zhao Ji deliberately spread the word to Huang Chenxiang, telling him that he had been targeted by Zhao Xiaoqian. Huang Chenxiang panicked and immediately fled the city.

The appearance of Huang Chenxiang outside the city signifies that Zhao Ji has an opportunity to silence him.

To everyone's surprise, Zhao Ji's plan fell through, as Zhao Xiaoqian intervened.

When he learned that all the assassins he had sent had been killed and that Huang Chenxiang had disappeared without a trace, Zhao Ji felt as if the sky had fallen.

Emperor Huizong racked his brains but couldn't figure out how Zhao Xiaoqian knew the location where he had arranged to meet Huang Chen.

However, Zhao Ji had no time to think about these things now. He was filled with fear. If Huang Chenxiang fell into Zhao Xiaoqian's hands, then Zhao Xiaoqian would have a very fatal handle against him.

This is a very serious offense. He murdered the emperor's only son, cutting off his lineage. Not only would the emperor and his ministers not tolerate him, but even his ancestors in the afterlife would not tolerate him.

After years of dormancy and a calm, unwavering mind, I have finally broken down today.

Cold sweat dripped down Zhao Ji's forehead, his eyes filled with uncontrollable fear, and his whole body trembled.

He was terrified that despite all his years of caution, he had finally slipped and fallen.

What frightened him even more was that two days had passed since the incident, and Zhao Xiaoqian showed no intention of contacting him, nor did he report the matter to Zhao Xu.

If the knife hanging overhead were to actually fall, it would end the problem once and for all.

What they feared most was that the knife was hanging overhead, refusing to fall, but the person under the knife knew very well that it would fall sooner or later.

Who can understand this feeling?

Can the condemned prisoners being beheaded on the execution ground understand this? The executioners aren't that bored.

But Zhao Xiaoqian is just that boring.

Emperor Huizong gritted his teeth in the Prince's mansion, smashing everything he could find, but it was all just impotent rage.

What should we do now?
Am I supposed to proactively ask Zhao Xiaoqian, "Have you caught me red-handed lately? When are you going to kill me?"

Huang Chenxiang's disappearance gave Zhao Ji a great psychological shock; this time, he was truly afraid.

He knew very well what fate awaited him if things came to light. All those crimes he had committed before—such as training assassins, bribing court officials, infiltrating the palace, and even assassinating Zhao Xiaoqian—were nothing compared to plotting against the young prince.

The mere fact that he plotted to murder the young prince was enough to warrant Zhao Ji's death a hundred times over.

Early in the morning, the Prince's mansion was filled with an extremely oppressive atmosphere. The servants of the mansion gathered outside the gate to watch Zhao Ji in a fit of rage, smashing one exquisite and expensive piece of porcelain, calligraphy and painting, table and chair after another. His house was as if it had been swept by a storm, with devastation and mess everywhere.

Zhao Ji's crazed expression terrified the servants in the palace, and no one dared to approach him, only watching him from a distance.

At this moment, Zhao Ji was like a madman. He was panting heavily, his eyes were bloodshot, his hair and clothes were disheveled, and his long, slender hands, which were naturally suited to an artist, were now covered with scratches and bleeding, all from when he was throwing things.

After venting his anger, Zhao Ji's mood gradually calmed down, and his eyes became clearer.

There's still a chance, yes, there's still a chance...

If he refuses to admit it, he will have a chance.

His long-standing brotherhood with Zhao Xu meant that even if Huang Chen confronted him face-to-face, as long as he didn't admit anything, the case couldn't be closed.

However, after this incident, the delicate balance between Zhao Ji and the Chu King's family would be broken from now on.

Zhao Ji had something on Zhao Xiaoqian, but Zhao Xiaoqian also had something on him.

Holding the power of 100,000 troops was Zhao Xiaoqian's biggest weakness.

A look of resentment flashed in Zhao Ji's eyes.

Since the feud is destined to be irreconcilable, let it deepen and become even more irreconcilable.

…………

Bianjing City.

The shopkeeper of the first floor got beaten up again, kicked by Chen Shou from his home into the shop, like a sheep being herded by a sheepdog.

The shopkeeper was incredibly aggrieved. He was a freelancer with no boss and no overtime, able to open and close his shop whenever he wanted. But after being hooked on this prince, he found himself working a regular job, and he felt like he wanted to die.

Outside the door of the first floor, Zhao Xiaoqian, who had a bad temper, pointed at the shopkeeper's nose and cursed him for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, until the shopkeeper's face turned green.

He didn't spend a penny, nor did he invest any shares, so why is he acting like a chairman, pointing at me and scolding me?
"My lord, I was wrong, I was really wrong!" The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "My lord, I will give you the secret recipe for soup dumplings. You can go back and have your chef make them. How about that? You can eat fresh ones anytime, anywhere."

Zhao Xiaoqian sneered: "You think you can get rid of me with a secret recipe? Don't you know it's easy to invite a god but hard to send him away? I insist on eating at your shop; I cough when I eat soup dumplings anywhere else!"

The shopkeeper's face was ashen; even the secret recipe couldn't sway him, yet he insisted on eating at his shop...

He doesn't want to go to that lousy class even once more!

The shopkeeper, looking gloomy, started making steamed buns. Zhao Xiaoqian sat in the shop with his legs crossed, watching the shopkeeper's mournful expression with a cold smile. For some reason, he felt particularly happy.

Indeed, it is difficult to empathize with human suffering, but human happiness is built upon the suffering of others.

A figure flashed past the door, and Wei Jie rubbed his hands as he entered. He had barely sat down when he shouted at the shopkeeper, "Make three more baskets... no! Four baskets!"

The shopkeeper's expression grew even more distressed.

Wei Jie said with a grin, "Following Your Highness is a blessing. Any shop Your Highness deigns to enter must have delicious food. This steamed bun shop has become my regular haunt since I visited it once with Your Highness years ago."

Clicking his tongue, Wei Jie sighed, "It's just that this shopkeeper is so useless. He opens or closes the shop whenever he feels like it. Damn it, are there really people in this world who hate money? Isn't that just plain crazy?"

Zhao Xiaoqian said leisurely, "This illness is easy to cure. Just give him a beating and he'll be fine. Look at the shopkeeper now, doesn't he look like he's recovered from a serious illness?"

Wei Jie glanced at the shopkeeper carefully. The shopkeeper, who was kneading dough, knew that he couldn't afford to offend either of these two gentlemen, so he could only force a bitter smile.

Wei Jie couldn't help but praise, "You've really recovered! I'm so happy! Good! I'll remember that. Next time the shopkeeper doesn't open the door, I'll go to his residence for a visit."

The shopkeeper looked sorrowful and kneaded the dough even faster.

"Your Highness, the court has been quite lively lately. The Empress has been deposed, and the matter has caused quite a stir. The Emperor is currently busy balancing the political situation and appeasing the old faction. Should our Imperial City Guard continue investigating the murder of the young prince?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was silent for a moment, then said, "Of course we have to investigate, but this case is a bit tricky. Once we get to Huang Chenxiang, the Junior Supervisor of the Palace Secretariat, we can't investigate any further. After all... he has already fled and there's no way to verify his identity. How can we investigate like this?"

Wei Jie nodded, looking helpless, and said, "Then we can only... close the case? We'll report the truth to the Emperor."

Wei Jie whispered, "Not only Prime Minister Huang Chen, but also the eunuchs around Consort Liu, including Gong Jing, and the young prince's wet nurse, mysteriously disappeared a few days ago..."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded and said, "The murderers are these three. Huang Chenxiang poisoned the prince, Gong Jing brewed and delivered the medicine, and the wet nurse fed him the medicine. The three of them worked together perfectly to avoid the poison testing, which led to the prince's death from poisoning. The case is very clear."

“We were a little slow in investigating this case, which allowed Huang Chenxiang and the other two to escape. I will take responsibility for the mistake of the Imperial City Guard and apologize to the Emperor.”

(End of this chapter)